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The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has become responsible for more cooking related fires and accidents than many other times of the year. All Hands Fire Equipment is announcing these important safety tips that can help keep the holiday enjoyable and accident free.

On this Thanksgiving take great care in identifying hazards and maintain a safe kitchen and home.

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The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has become responsible for more cooking related fires and accidents than many other times of the year. All Hands Fire Equipment is announcing these important safety tips that can help keep the holiday enjoyable and accident free.

In recent years, a new and popular nation-wide trend for Thanksgiving dinner is “deep fried turkey.” This method has been introduced and shown on cooking television shows and in popular recipes.

The draw to a deep fried turkey is the recipe’s ability to create a cooked turkey that is not dried out, as can happen with the traditional method of oven cooking a turkey.

Even if a person follows the deep fryer instructions, the practice of deep frying a turkey can be dangerous. This deep frying process involves submerging the turkey in two to five gallons of oil or fat heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s important not to overheat the oil or the vapors could burst into flames. It is also important to maintain the proper level of oil, if the oil level is too high it may over flow and ignite, which can quickly create a large fire.

There is also the possibility that the fryer could tip over, spill or splash causing a risk of ignition and burn injuries.

Here are a few safety tips for deep frying turkeys.

Following the deep turkey frying mechanism manufacturer’s instructions is an important start.

Keeping children away from the deep turkey fryer, open flames, propane tanks and similar hazards is always good practice.

One should never use a deep turkey fryer indoors or in an enclosed area. Using the device outdoors and away from combustible or structural components such decks can help avoid flare-ups.

A deep turkey fryer or similar device should never be left unattended.

Ensuring that the deep turkey fryer is secure and on a flat surface, can reduce the risk of the device tipping over.

Great care when handling the lid, side handles, or the pot should be used, these will be extremely hot and may pose a burn or tipping hazard.

If a deep turkey fryer does ignite, water should not be used to douse the flames. Calling the fire department and/or using an ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher should be the first step in such an emergency.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Thanksgiving Day records the most home cooking fires in the United States.

“On this Thanksgiving take great care in identifying hazards and maintain a safe kitchen and home,” advises Don Colarusso, a firefighter for more than 24 years and President of All Hands Fire Equipment, one of the nations’ leading suppliers of ESS Goggles and Isurus Wetsuits.